The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1887-10-09
POLICE CLUB THE RBDS
A Genuine Outrage at the
Union Square Meeting.
THE ASSEMBLY DISPERSED.

Eighty Blue Goats Charge the
Socialists Without Orders.
George Men were Raising Disturbance In
n Corner-Capt. Reilly set ont with 30
Men to Quiet TIA General Advance or
the Fsisoo Foilewss and Ciass Fell with
ent Proveeatiou = First-rate Campaign
Capital for the ProRrcssive Labor Party
The Meeting Keas.embies and the Ora
tors Rubbed tho Outrage In-Refusinr to
Let Capt. Rally Explain for tho Police.
Police clubs were piled with no apparent
justification ut the ratification meeting OF tho
Progressive Labor party ON the Plaza In Union
square last evening. and they made the most
exciting and tumultuous experience New York
has experienced for many day. The meet
ing was actually dispersed under rain OF
clubbing for no apparent cause or purpose. A
raid upon the crowd by eighty policemen was
started without orders. had got under Roadway
before Capt Reilly, who was in charge Of the
police. knew Of 1t, and continued despite his
efforts to stop the policemen. until the square
was cleared. It cleared very rapidly. The ma
jority Of the audience took to their heels when
the clubbing began, and tho crowd melted
away like snow upon spring hillside. There
was evidently no notion Of resistance: but
many stopped and hesitated and asked
to know why they were SO roughly
ordered to get along and these in
many cases were hustled and dubbed.
The men who showed cut heads after the
m NJ tN ho 1T
were mon who stopped and attempted to argue
with the policemen, and who were not temper
ate In their language Of expostulation. They
had had no proyocation to be temperate.
There was only one opinion In the square, and
that WAS that the men who did the clubbing
deserved to DO sent to prison for assault and
battery. and that the Socialists had got first
class outrage for campaign material Not all
Of the eighty who charged the crowd wore
guilty OF actually pounding citizens with their
clubs. but enough Of them were guilty to keep
the Commissioners busy for while breaking
them, II any Of tho victims can identify them.
Col. r. j. Hinton was the speaker at the main
platform on the Cottage when the interruption
occurred. and was getting along swimminGly
with very stirring speech. His exciting Ian
guage had reference to q misunderstanding
with tho Park Department about the use OF
the Cottage as represented first by Foreman
johnson and second by Capt. Beatty Of the
gray-coated police. It was entirely the fault
Of the managers Of the meeting, and was of O
piece with the same lack Of system and head
that characterized all the arrangements. There
wero no PLATFORM tickets for the reporters, and
even many Of those announced as speakers
were unprovided with them, and only made
their way past the Park policemen on guard at
the stairs with annoying delay and much loss
Of temper. OF course those who neglected
such an obvious necessity as this were even
more likely to forgot the details Of permits and
arrangements for lighting. They had permit
for meeting in the Plaza but it did not specify
the use Of tho cottage platform. Tho gasliGhts
OF the row fronting the Plaza are not under the
city control, that is arc not arranged for
are. TT It Is Is. customary Tor those Who
use tho place for meeting purposes
to make their avn Ior the ne gas
preliminaries necessary; The Socialists, there
piazza BY suiferance only after some bother:
At the last meeting 80 many decorations had
tackled up that the cottage tRsf was Sdeed
IT, fSIs - Spirit 81
meeting was not a sufficient threw Editors
Shevitch. Hinton. and the rest into condition
would go on and let the police stop the ,ratltl-
cation meeting II they thought best. It was
tSs eaders really got to nndsrstand the
init question. They seemed almost disap-
pointed when 1t was found to be such q simple
with. Bat all through the speeches references
were made to 1t as an outrage. Col. Hinton
began this way:
sposed to wonder whether am citizen Of Amer
lea when the bearing Of the men who paid by
no.hsT Ths ssasnsr + most SSI,Sis hing
q ANY :s.sRIsl mSnsTs to
p TINS
nv have no lights hays no police pfgsss.Sn
pOiSe-that We viii keep the peace.
GEORGE MEN START THE TROUBLE.
For ten minutes previous to this the north
y disorganize&d; Tho arranEements were bad
main stand, The voices Of the orators
The rucE side Plaza
while the one on the western sported only
the crowd were number OF torch bearers and
trapspareney, carriers who had been in the
Tenth. Twelfth. Fourteenth. and soventeentl
districts. Tho rcstiveness OF the crowd around
the western truck was due 70 the presence Of
made familiar in the last campaign;,
These shouts were heard by all and were
sometimes answered by, defiant Progressive
cheers They bothered the speakers In both
ways. and L. X. Thomas OF 1855 East Seventy
fifth street determined that It should be
stopped. Capt. Reilly, with 100 blue-coated
policemen. was over on the north sidewalk OF
pealed.
Capt; Reilly answered promptly: Certainly.
We will stop II for you." He called out twonty
men and stepped out toward the part OF the
crowd where the trouble was. AS he reached
It he brandisned his club and commanded that
there should DO no Interruption OF the speakers.
Those nearest to him II tho crowd shrank
later the whole three meetings were In motion n
had left on the sidewalk had moved for
ward after him, utterly without orders. no
they pushed down on the crowd until, whom
Capt Reilly brandished his club, they all drew
theirs and In many cases began to use them.
TIE cLUBDERs AT WORK.
The rush wont by the two truck stands and